Bowl barrow on Long Down, 920m north east of Sewage Works at Longmoor Camp

Reasons for Designation

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

The bowl barrow on Long Down, 920m north east of the Sewage Works at Longmoor Camp survives reasonably well despite some later disturbance and can be expected to retain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the environment in which it was constructed. The monument is closely associated with a number of other round barrow cemeteries and barrow groups within the area of Woolmer Forest which together constitute a particularly well-preserved ritual landscape of the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow of Late Neolithic or Bronze Age date, prominently situated within Woolmer Forest at the south western end of Long Down, overlooking Woolmer Down to the west and Weavers Down to the south. It is one of a large number of isolated barrows, barrow groups and round barrow cemeteries located in and around Woolmer Forest, some of which are the subject of separate schedulings. The barrow has been badly clipped on the north western side by the later construction of a modern military road and is rutted by heavy vehicle tracks associated with the use of the area as a military training ground. This area is not included in the scheduling. The surviving portion of the barrow remains as a steep-sided, flat-topped mound, 17m north-south and 1.8m high. A smaller mound adjoining the barrow to the north east is probably a later spoil heap. There is no trace of a surrounding quarry ditch, from which material would have been gained for the mound's construction, although this may survive as a buried feature, now infilled by the later use of the monument. Further buried remains associated with the original construction and use of the barrow, including burials, grave pits, burial goods, and the original ground surface can also be expected to survive beneath the mound. A Ministry of Defence marker star situated on the monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

34148

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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